Closure for cans



May 8, 1945. .-o. GRICE CLOSURE FOR CANS 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 17, 1942 May 8, 1945.

1.. o. GRXCE CLOSURE FOR CANS 3 Sheets-sheaf 2 3 Filed March 17, 1942 ice y 8, 1945. L. o. GRICE 2,375 22 CLOSURE FOR CANS Filed March 17, 1942 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented May 8, 1945 CLOSURE FOR CANS Letcher 0. Grice, United States Army, Washington, D. C.

Application March 17, 1942, Serial No. 435,031

(Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended April 30, 1928; 3'70 0. G. 757) 2 Claims.

The invention described herein, if patented, may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes, without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

The present invention relates to portable liquid containers and more particularly to a novel and improved container closure device particularly adapted for use in connection with a sheet metal can intended for supplying drinking water to soldiers during maneuvers or combat.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that a closure of this type and intended for this use must have certain characteristics whereby it is especially adapted for its purpose in that it must be capable of completely and positively sealing the can against egress of liquids and must be arranged to open readily and present a sufiiciently large filling orifice so that the can may be filled from almost any source, or'so that the interior of the container may be cleaned, and, at the same time, it is essential thatthe container closure be so designed that small amounts of liquid may be dispensed into smallnecked receptacles, such as canteens, Without any waste of the water by spilling.

Further, in any type of structure intended for use by troops in active service in the field, it is absolutely essential that the structure be of such mechanical design as to be extremely rugged and capable of withstanding great physical abuse without damage. It will also be readily apparent that it is highly desirable to provide means 'for closing the dispensing opening of the liquid container to prevent accumulation of dirt or foreign substances in the dispensing spout when the containers are being transported from one location to another.

It is, therefore, the prime object of the present invention to provide a portable liquid gontainer including a relatively large cam-locked closure cap adapted to be opened for filling or cleaning of the container and arranged to carry a small dispensing valve or spigot to provide satisfactory means of accurately controlling the flow of the liquid during dispensing and to facilitate the filling of canteens or other containers having small necks.

A further object of the invention is to provide a relatively large cam-locked container cap having a deep recess in the cap and a small dispensing valve in the recess so that the valve structure is substantially below the rim of the cap and is thus protected against accidental damage that might be caused from impact of any exterior forces against the closure mechanism of the can.

' A further object of the invention is to provide a portable water container including a relatively large cam-locked filling cap arranged to assume a normal position at an acute angle with respect to the horizontal when the can is standing in normal position and having a deep recess including a vertical wall at one side and a bottom comprising a, plane marginal surface and a. frusto-conical cavity, with a dispensing valve mounted at the lower portion of the cavity, and so arranged that it may be rotated on its axis; the valve being provided with a dispensing spout extending angularly upwardly and arranged so that it may be directed toward the lower side of the closure cap to project above the margin of the cap and extend outwardly from the plane of the cap tofacilitate the discharge of the fluid, or so that it may be rotated one-half revolution to a point where the end of the dispensing spout substantially abuts the vertical side wall of the cavity to substantially close the dispensing spout and to'retain a telescoping sleeve in position on the spout; thus preventing entry of dirt or foreign substances into the dispensing valve.

A further object of the invention is to provide a portable liquid container closure including a knockout plug arranged to provide an optional mounting for a dispensing valve, the arrangement being such that the knockout plug is located atthe lowermost point in a deep cavity in the closure cap and is thus entirely surrounded by the rim of the cap at a point substantially above and spaced away from the removable portion of the knockout plug so that it is not easily subject to accidental damage by contact with foreign obstacles when in use.

These and other important objects are accomplished by the peculiar construction and arrangement of parts of the present preferred embodiment of the invention as illustrated in the drawings attached hereto and forming a part of this specification in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a standard form of Army water container equipped with the container closure forming the subject matter of the present application,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail sectional view of the container closure,

Fig. 3 is a detailsectional view of the container vent,

Fig. 4 is an enlarged plan view of the container closure provided with a dispensing valve,

Fig. is a detail sectional view of the container closure provided with a dispensing valve,

Fig. 6 is a rear elevational view of the container closure illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5,

Fig. 7 is a detail perspective view of the closure cap in closed position with the dispensing valve in operating position, and

Fig. 3 is a-perspective view of the closure in open position.

In the illustrations of the present application, the improved form of container closure is shown as attached to a standard Army gasoline container which is of generally rectangular shape including relatively flat sides. ll joined to the narrow end portions 13 and I4.

As shown in the drawings, the top [6 of the container is made of a single piece of sheet metal formed into the desired shape and united to the body of the can by rolled or welded head 18 eX-, tending completely around the can. The top portion l6 of the can is drawn from a single piece of sheet metal, as pointed out above, and is shaped to include a hump 2 lat one end,adjacent the end wall l4, and an inclined portion 23 at theother'end. The inclined portion 23 is positioned at an acute angle with respect to a horizontal plane, and is at a level substantially below the top of the hump 2!. The center portion of thecan is formed'as a relatively horizontal portion extending-from the lower edge of the hump to the upper edge of the inclined ortion 23. The container is also provided with a triple handle structurewhich, in the present drawings is shown as being formed of a single piece of sheet metal, rolled to rovide three separate handlesextending from a point adjacent the upper end of the inclined portion 23 to the top of the hump 2|, This handle structureincludes a web 21-having a flange 25 adapted tolie flat against theupper end of the inclined portion 23 :and welded onto the portion 23 in order tosecure the-forward end of the handle.

The forward web 27. is triiurcated at its. upper end to provide three separate horizontal handle portions it, 29 and 38, each of which is rolled from the. sheet metal of which the structure, is constructed so, that they each are substantially cylindrical in cross-section. V a

It will be noted from Figs. 3, 5, '1 and 8 that. the handles are united toeach other by the web 21 which is cut away along a gradual curve extending well below the plan, of the top of the handles.

,The container is also provided witha ventscrew .3l threaded into the threaded flange 32, at

on a. hinge bracket 53, which is formed of sheet metal and is welded or otherwise secured to the exterior surface of the sleeve 38 adjacent the mouth of the container.

From an examination of Fig. 2, it will be apparent that the lower surface of the cap structure 6| will move into approximate sealing engagement with the upper surface 52 of the reinforcing rim around on the container mouth. To provide a dependable leak-proof sealing mechanism an annular gasket 61 is mounted on the lower face of the cap in a metal gasket ring 68 including inner and outer flanges to prevent the gasket from spreading. I

The cap is clamped against the cup by novel cam operated structure including .a particular configuration of cams so designed that the :cam surfaces are well protected against accidental damage and including a cam operating plate of novel design and construction whereby it is a point. on the hump 2!. A vent port 33 extends up through, the center of the screw to the side port '34., so that when the screw is tightened the gasket 35' will close the vent, but when the screw is loosened, the port 34'wil1 be exposed to provide an unobstructed air inlet when liquid is being poured from themouth of the. container. The

, lower end of the screw 31 is split at 36 a retain it against removal.

The inclined surface 23 of the can top I6 is provided with an upwardly extending neck 31 drawn from the metal of the can top. This necl: portion 31 fits: into a sleeve- 38 and is securely fastened to it by welding or other means. The

sleeve 38 extends upwardly a short distance above the inclined portion 23 of the can and is rolled around a metal reinforcing ring 3'9 to provide a reinforcing rim including an upper flange surface52= adaptedto be sealed'bythe closure cap 6!. r

well adapted to exert comparatively large forces against thecams to effect tight sealing of the container and equally adapted to be easily clamped and released without the use of tools.

A cam operating plate H is .mountedon rivets Hand 13 secured to the top of the. cap BI and the plate is formed of a relatively flat central. section 15 and two'downwardly extending side webs l5 and H, one positioned on either side of the cap 6i. This structure gives great rigidity to the cam locking plate since the opposite .side corners l8 .and T9 of the folded metal sheet .reinforce the side webs. and give relatively greater strength to the plate, so that it is adapted to resist heavy impacts from external sources without damage either to the cam locking plate or to the closure structure; all essential parts of which are protected by the plate. The locking means themselves comprise internal cam flanges 8i and 82 each extending inwardly from the lower. sur-- face of the webs l5 and 11, respectively, and positioned to ride under the cam' anchors 58 and 59 respectively, and to exert a cam action todraw flange 52 of the sleeve 33. Thus, to sealthe container, it is only necessary to pivot the cap 6! downwardly above the pivot, pin 55, engage the cams 8| and 82 under the cam anchors 58 and 59 respectively, and force the cam plate downwardly against the container cap to the position shown in Figs; 1, 2,4,5, 6 and '7. I i

It may be well to point out'that the container may be opened or closed entirely without the use of tools. Further, it is possible to exert a great degree of force on the cam surfaces,- since the rearward end of the-cam locking plate H includes the relatively flat, broadsmooth surface l5 on which the operator may exert a-considerable force withoutinjuring his hands. U

The cam locking plate H is biturcated at its extreme end to provide a pair of ears 84 and 85, and each of these earsis arranged to assume a position between two of the adjoining handl portions of the container and slightly below the 3'and These ear portions are particularly useful in releasing the cams and opening the container closure since they project well beyond the upper end of the-forward web2'l of the handles so that there is unobstructed clearance below the ears 84 and.85 and between the handle portions 28, 29 and 30. Toopen the container, the operator may reach between the handles and firmly grip either or both of the cars 84 and 85 to lift the locking plate 'II. This arrangement also makes it possible to obtain a good mechanical advantage since the ears are at the extreme ends of the locking plate, and it will therefore be obvious that a relatively large amount of force may be exerted by use of the bare hands and that no types of tools will be required torelease the cams and open the container cap.

The entire cap structure lies at a substantial angle with respect to the horizontal when the can is in normal position, and a cavity is formed in the upper surface of the cap by drawing the sheet metal downwardly to provide a substantially horizontal margin 9| intersecting the plane of the top of the cap at its-lower side and bounded by a substantially vertical side wall 92 at the opposite side of the cap, This cavity facilitates the mounting of a dispensing valve and pouring spout on the closure cap.

For the purpose of mounting the valve it is desirable to provide a knockout plug so that the containers need not necessarily be equipped with the valve at the time of manufacture but may be shipped to the field with the ordinary form of can closures, and, when necessary, the individual containers may be separately equipped with dispensing valves and spouts that are separately manufactured and issued to the troops as a separate item of issue. It has been discovered, however, that the provision of a satisfactory structure of this character is not as simple as it may at first appear since the only convenient method of attaching a dispensing valve is by the use of a knockout plug in the container or closure, but the use of any such knockout plug is unsatisfactory unless the device is'so arranged that the plug is not apt to be struck by foreign substances during the rough handling that any container of this character will necessarily receive in field service. Obviously, if a knockout plug is positioned at any unprotected point on the surface of the container or closure, it is quite apt to be struck by the corner of some other container when they are being stacked .or handled, and, of course, if the plug is knocked out, the container will be completely unsatisfactory for use until some repair is made.

The disadvantage of the use of knockout plugs has been overcome in the present invention by positioning the plug at the bottom of the cavity in the closure cap where it is located at a point well below the rim of the cap and thus well protected against being struck by any exterior force; in fact, as illustrated in the drawings, the recess of the closure cap is provided with a downwardly extending frusto-conical cavity 93 terminating on a flat base portion 94 in which the knockout plug 95 is located.

This frusto-conical cavity not only provides additional protection for the knockout plug, but also serves another valuable purpose in that it permits a novel and highly advantageous type of mounting for a liquid dispensing valve and pouring spout. Toinstall the valve and spout, it is only necessary to-knock out the plug 95 and' insert the threaded shank I 0| of the dispensing valve I02 through the opening and to resiliently look the valve structure in position by threading the retaining nut I03 onto the external threads of theshank IOI to compress the spring washer I04, against the lower surface of the'closure cap and thus apply sealing pressure to the gasket I05 on the upper surface. It will be understood, of course, that the retaining nut I03 can be adjusted to proper position to provide sufiicient friction so that the valve structure can be rotatedbut will be frictionally held in any position and. the nut may be prevented from unscrewing by marking the threads of the valve with a center punch or by any other convenient method.

Thevalve shank I 0| is provided with a tapered valve seat at its lower extremity which is normally maintained closed by a valve I06. The stem of the valve I06 extends upwardly through the packing I01 in the valve body and is secured toxthe valve button I08 at the top of the valve body, A coiled wire spring I09 is also provided around the valve stem to lift the valve and mainrain it in'closed position.

The pouring spout N0 of the valve projects outwardly and upwardly at an incline corresponding to the angular inclination of the frusto-conical walls of the recess 93 and is arranged to be shifted from the full line inoperative position shown in Fig. 5 to the dispensing position illustrated in Fig. 7. It will be obvious that when the valve spout is in the dispensing position, the liquid container may be inverted, the vent opened, and the liquid may be dispensed accurately and in small quantities from the spout H0 of the valve.

When the container is not being used for immediate dispensing, the spout I I0 is covered by a telescoping sleeve l I I and the valve rotated by means of the thumb wings II 2 to the full line position illustrated in Fig. 5. At this time the end of the spout I I 0 will be substantially in abutment with the vertical side wall 92 of the recess 93-of the closure cap, and the side wall will prevent the sleeve III from being removed, thus preventing any possibility of dirt or foreign substances reaching the valve spout. The cap is secured to one of the valve wings II2 by a small flexible retaining chain H3 to prevent the cap from being lost when the container is in use.

From the foregoing description, it is believed apparent that the present closure structure pro vides a simple mechanism of great utility and unquestionable value in that it accomplishe all of the above mentioned objects of the present invention by the use of a very simple mechanical structure adapted to mass production methods of manufacture, easy to install, and at the same time of such mechanical designs as to be well adapted to resist rough handling and a high degree of abuse that structures of this character must necessarilywithstand in the field in use by,

troops in active combat.

The present invention has been developed in the United States Army and adopted by the Army as the most successful device of its character yet devised, but while it is particularly adapted to military use and has been designed essentially for military purposes, it is believed to have utility in commercial fields as well, and it is therefore requested that the scope of the invention be limited only by the limitations of the appended claims. Having thus described my invention, I claim: 1. In combination, a container having a depressed area in a portion of its top forming a reces for housing and protecting a pouring spout, said recess having a fiat bottom extending inwardly at one side from the plane of the adjacent .top :suriacean'd 'joined to the top by a wall -of gradually increasing height through the rest :of

its periphery, the center 'of the bottom being counter-sunk and provided with an aperture, and

.th'ewall when'turned toward the deep side-of the recess, said threaded portion having :a. passage therethrough "and'awalve seat at its lower end,

and :a reciprocating valve adapted to .engagesaid seat and having 'a stem extending upwardly through the wall -of:said spout adjacent the angular extension to iorman-operating member,

7 2. In combination, 'a portable liquid container 7 including a relatively Flarge outlet having an "upstanding :rim and a reap for closingsaid outlet pivotally mounted 'dnrsaid rim, said caphaving a recess formed by ;-.a counter-sunk "top portion, the bottom of said recess Flying at an angle to the'top of the-cap andibeing merged with thetop atone side and joined thereto by a wall of increasing depth around the remainder of its periphery, said bottom having a central aperture, and a spout comprising a tubular element having a vertical section and an angular section, said vertical section having a'valve seat at its lower end and a reciprocating valve mounted therein and biased to close the lowerend, said valve havingia vertically extending stem projecting from said tubular element adjacent the angular section and forming an operating member, said "vertical sec tion .ibeing rotatablymounted in said aperture, whereby saidangular section proiects beyond the top of the cap when it is turned toward the shallow side of therecess but lies within the recess when turned toward the deep side.

hnnrcrma o. GRICE. 

